An eternity
by MyLittleWorld15
Summary: Everyone has a time given to spend it on earth. But this time ends at one point, and no one can stop it. But sometimes the end of a life gives someone the opportunity to see his loved ones again. The Great Prince had longed for this moment since the day she died. The Great Prince x Bambi's mother, Oneshot


Everyone has his time on earth given to him and can live it in each possible way. Some have only a short time given, others a very long. But one day, each one has to face this lonely hour when life eventually ends.

Some persons lead a happy life in which they fulfill their dreams, found a family and share their life with the ones who deserve it. Others lead a lonely life, chasing the wrong ideas or have dreams which are never destined to come true. Some lives are totally different. But each one has the possibility to make own choices which effect the path of life they go.

The Great Prince, for a fact, had a happy life. Sometimes he made decisions he regretted soon after, but he went the path he had chosen without looking back. He had had a wonderful, faithful mate which had loved him till the day of her death years ago. He had missed her ever since, but he knew she lived on in Bambi, as did he himself.

He had Bambi, his son who he loved very dearly. From the day Bambi was born on, he had never been far away from his son to protect and watch him. After his mate's death that terrible day in late winter, he had taken the fawn in and had made it through every high and low point throughout the following year, even though there were some troubles in the beginning. But he had soon discovered he needed his son just as much as his son needed him. He had helped Bambi to grow into a strong and confident stag he could be proud of, and Bambi had helped him to ease up his cold personality. Cold because all those lonely times he had experienced in the past.

He had even been able to see his two grandchildren, two adorable fawns named Geno and Gurri. Their mother was Faline, a beautiful young doe Bambi had grown up with. She was kind and loving and anyone could see she loved Bambi and their fawns. The Great Prince didn't need to ask why Bambi had chosen her as his mate.

But now, the Great Prince felt his time on earth was at an end. Time hadn't stopped for him, he had grown old. All the years of being the Great Prince and protecting the forest while educating and raising his son had tired him. He longed to join his mate, longed to look into her beautiful eyes again and tell her how sorry he was for neglecting her and their son for such a long time. He normally didn't show his feelings, but that didn't mean he was heartless.

When he rested deep within the woods were barely any sunlight hit the ground, he thought about his life. Thought about the time when he was a little fawn and played with his younger sister, thought about the time when he got his first pair of antlers and met _her_ for the first time.

He thought about the many happy moments they had shared and until they were separated by his duties as a prince. But they had never stopped loving each other with all their heart. She had always been on his mind when he had felt lonely.

He thought about their son. Now it was Bambi's turn to rule over the forest as the Great Prince. He would surely need his time to live up to his father's name and earn the respect he deserved. But the Great Prince was sure he would do well. Fathers knew such things.

Without realizing it, the stag fell asleep. But it was a slumber he would never awake from. However, he had no regrets. He had lived his life and although he wasn't proud on everything he had done, there were still many things that he had done right.

When he opened his eyes again, he wasn't in the forest anymore. He was on a golden meadow which was flooded by bright, warm sunlight. Suddenly, he felt light as if he could fly. But even though he could have run around like the little fawn he once was, he maintained dignity and pride when he walked around to find out where he was. Who would have expected anything else?

Suddenly, he heard a soft voice call his name. His real name, not "Prince" or "Great Prince". But that wasn't what surprised him. What surprised him was the fact that it was _her_ voice. Soft and melodic as the singing of a bird, it reached his ears. He turned his head in each direction to find her. A logical part of his mind told him that it could be one of Man's tricks, but his heart told him it wasn't.

And then he spotted her. Standing amidst the golden Grass which gracefully flooded around her long legs, she stood there and looked at him. He smiled a happy, honest smile. He couldn't describe the joy of seeing her again.

But he approached her slowly. It had been so long since they stared at each other eye to eye. Too long, how he now realized. But she had never been mad at him. She was patient and loving, kind and understanding. No matter how long he had kept away from her, she had been happy every time they met. And yet she had never begged him to stay.

When he stood before her, they simply gazed at each other and smiled. Her smile was kind and gentle, his was happy and hesitating. Finally, she took the first step.

"It had been a long time, my love," she simply said and nuzzled him tenderly. He returned the affectionate, tender gesture immediately, happy to breathe in her familiar smell again. He nodded.

"Too long." When they separated, he looked around. Everything was warm and welcoming and he felt peaceful and relaxed, like there was nothing to worry about. But she was here. There was no doubt what was happening.

"I'm dead, aren't I" he said. He wasn't confused or unhappy, it wasn't even a question. But still, she nodded.

"Yes."

He took a deep breath and started walking without a particular reason. Something just made him do it. She followed him without questioning why he acted the way he did. They had an eternity together. Nothing could separate them anymore. That was all both of them could wish for.

They went in silence, side by side. There were many things they could talk about, but there was no need to do it. Something urged the Great Prince forwards. When he finally felt like he had reached his destination, he stood right before a small pond.

His mate looked at him. "With this pond, you can look back on earth whenever it pleases you" she explained quietly. He looked at her as if to ask a question, but he didn't know the words. She smiled and said; "I've been watching you and Bambi."

"You did?" She must have seen all the horrible things he had done to their son. But she continued smiling.

"Yes. You are a great father."

Her smile was kind, her eyes were forgiving. She didn't care about what happened between him and Bambi before he finally realized how much he had loved his son all along. It made him happy and he nuzzled her.

"I love you," he whispered in her fur. He couldn't see her smiling since his eyes were closed, but he could feel her nuzzling him back and felt her muzzle touch his fur. He could hear she uttered a few whispered words which meant the world for him.

"I love you too."

They continued nuzzling, not caring about talking. He wanted to tell her she had always been on his mind, that he was sorry for not showing her how much she meant to him, that he should have been there more often, even though she was a doe and he was a stag. Who cared about rules? He was the Great Prince, he could do whatever he wanted. But he didn't say anything, as did she. They could talk later.

After all, they now had an eternity together.


End file.
